While Nieuwenhuis is out of options, manager Terry Collins indicated that den Dekker has responded to the team's request that he reduce his strikeouts when sent to Triple-A last season.

"We'll just see how it translates this spring into what kind of an offensive player he can be," Collins said of den Dekker. "We know he's got the defensive skills."

Collins said that whichever outfielder shows the most promise will make the initial 25-man roster.

"He plays the game right. He's fearless," Collins said of Nieuwenhuis. "But right now, we've got to get some offense from one of those two guys. Which one of those two guys is going to be able to come off the bench as a pinch-hitter? The best closers in our division are all right-handed, so the left-handed hitter off that bench is going to be a big piece."

Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who was hospitalized Saturday due to an infection, is expected to be discharged Tuesday, according to ESPN. The belief is that the infection was related to kidney stones.

Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's matchup with the Astros.

Nieuwenhuis was scratched from Friday's lineup with an illness, and he is in the hospital with an infection, Newsday reports. The outfielder is expected to stay in the hospital overnight. He has hit .255/.347/.481 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 106 at-bats.